After oil, ammonia gas leak leaves Ennore gasping for air

CHENNAI: Grappling with oil spill that affected their environment and livelihood, Ennore residents were in for another scare as a gas leak, identified as ammonia, from Coromandel International Ltd created panic in Periyakuppam and other villages during the wee hours of Wednesday.

A fisherman said residents felt odour in the air and some started fainting. Chinnakuppam, Periyakuppam, Netaji Nagar, and Burma Nagar were among the affected neighbourhoods.

“Immediately, the residents evacuated houses with the help of youngsters from neighbouring villages and were accommodated in houses of other villages. They complained of burning sensation in the throat and in the chest,” S Vishanth, a fisherman said.

Read: Coromandel International Ltd temporarily shut down in Ennore after ammonia gas leak

While the authorities scrambled MTC buses and ambulances to whisk away the residents, several residents fled the locality on two-wheelers, autorickshaws, and load autos.

In a statement, the Tamil Nadu Pollution Control Board (TNPCB) said around 60 persons reported eye irritation and shortness of breath in Periyakuppam, Chinnakuppam, and nearby areas. “They were sent to Stanley Government Hospital and other private hospitals. 52 persons are still under examination. Medical camps were held in the affected areas,” the pollution control board said.

A team comprising the TNPCB member secretary, and officials from the Central Pollution Control Board, Directorate of Industrial Safety and Health, National Environmental Engineering Research Institute, and Central Leather Research Institute will review and file a report.

Read: Ennore ammonia gas leak: 42 patients hospitalized are in stable condition, says Ma Su

Chemical leak in the subsea pipeline caused problem: Interim report

Meanwhile, an interim report of TNPCB on the gas leak said the leak was from the subsea pipeline of Coromandel International Ltd, which is a fertilizer manufacturing facility involved in the manufacture of Ammonium Phosphate Potash Sulphate (APPS).

As ammonia is a raw material for APPS, the gas in liquid form is received via Ennore minor port through ships and transferred from there using a 2.5km long pipeline.

“A message was received from the unit at 12.45 am regarding the ammonia gas leakage that happened during the pre-cooling operation of the pipeline. Immediately the JCEE (M) Chennai along with DEE (Ambattur) and AEE (Manali) reached the site by 2.15 am and inspected the unit and the pipeline locations. The Joint Director, DISH (Directorate of Industrial Safety and Health), who is the authority for the safety of the industrial operation was also present at the site,” a statement said.after

During the inspection, the ammonia level in the ambient air was monitored and found to be 3ppm (2,090 mg/cubic meter) as against 400 mg/cubic meter at 3.30 am near the material gate of the fertilizer unit. However, after 4 am, the amount of Ammonia in the air reduced to zero in many areas including Periyakuppam, the report said.

“The seawater sample at the point of pipeline leakage was collected at 3.49 am and the ammonia level in the seawater was found to be 49 mg/L as against the marine discharge standard of 5 mg/L. At 4.30 am, a mild ammonia odour was observed near the site and the Chinnakuppam and Periyakuppam villages, “ the report said.

Nityanand Jayaraman, an environmental activist, questioned the TNPCB as to why samples had been taken from the west of the leak source and not from the southwest. “The winds were blowing from northeast to southwest carrying the contaminant plume from the coast towards Burma Nagar and Ernavur. Levels ought to have been measured 2 to 3 km southwest depending on wind speed,” he said.

Also Read: People hold protest after ammonia gas leak in Ennore